Dietary Epicatechin Is Available to Breastfed Infants through Human Breast Milk in the Form of Host and Microbial Metabolites

Polyphenols play an important role in human health. To address their accessibility to a breastfed infant, we planned to evaluate whether breast milk (BM) (colostrum, transitional, and mature) epicatechin metabolites could be related to the dietary habits of mothers. The polyphenol consumption of breastfeeding mothers was estimated using a food frequency questionnaire and 24 h recalls. Solid-phase extraction-ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (SPE-UPLC-MS/MS) was applied for direct epicatechin metabolite analysis. Their bioavailability in BM as a result of dietary ingestion was confirmed in a preliminary experiment with a single dose of dark chocolate. Several host and microbial phase II metabolites of epicatechin were detected in BM among free-living lactating mothers. Interestingly, a modest correlation between dihydroxyvalerolactone sulfate and the intake of cocoa products was observed. Although a very low percentage of dietary polyphenols is excreted in BM, they are definitely in the diet of breastfed infants. Therefore, evaluation of their role in infant health could be further promoted

Women scientists

Aquest article és la segona part de l’homenatge al reconeixement de les dones científiques, emprenedores i exemples per a totes. Seguint l’esquema del primer article, publicat al volum anterior de la revista, hi trobareu dones reconegudes internacionalment, altres catalanes i també dones membres de l’ACCA que han desenvolupat la seva activitat al voltant de l’alimentació en diversos àmbits.This article forms the second part of a tribute to women scientists and entrepreneurs, as people who are examples for all. Following the same lines as the first article, published in the previous issue of the magazine, here we discuss other Catalan women scientists who are internationally recognized figures and who, as members of the Catalan Food Sciences Association (ACCA), have been actively working in a diversity of fields relating to food